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Randy Cunneyworth
Canadian | birth_date = | birth_place = Etobicoke, ON, CAN | draft = 167th overall | draft_year = 1980 | draft_team = Buffalo Sabres | career_start = 1981 | career_end = 2000 }} Randy William Cunneyworth (born May 10, 1961 in Etobicoke, Ontario) was a long-standing professional hockey player in the NHL, former Rochester Americans head coach, former assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers, and current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Playing career Randy started out his hockey career in the OHL as an Ottawa 67's player. In only his second year in the OHL, Randy tallied up 128 points in only 67-games. He was drafted in the 8th round by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, but played only 1-game in his initial year. Randy was toggled between the Rochester Americans of the AHL (Buffalo Sabres' farm team) on-and-off for several seasons before getting an honest chance as a full-time player with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Randy gained a reputation for being a tough player who could hit, take a hit, and still win the game. He played several seasons as Captain of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, before returning to the Buffalo Sabres Organization, playing 17 games, 3 of which in the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Dallas Stars. During the 98–99 season he also played most of the season with the AHL's Rochester Americans where he played 2-seasons before retiring as a professional hockey player, due to a torn ACL. All in all, Randy scored 196 goals and 232 assists in 911 career NHL games. He also managed to tally 1,341 penalty minutes. Coaching career During his final year as a player, he acted as a player coach/assistant coach for the Rochester Americans during the 1999–2000 season before being given full-time duty the following season. He coached the team for eight years as the full-time head coach with a record of 306-267-67. On July 24, 2008, Cunneyworth accepted an assistant coaching position with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, along with former Chicago Wolves assistant Todd Nelson. On April 14, 2010, Cunneyworth was fired, along with the rest of the Thrashers' coaching staff. On July 20, 2010, he was hired by the Montreal Canadiens as the head coach for the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Canadiens chose Randy Ladouceur as his assistant. On December 17, 2011, he was named interim head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, replacing Jacques Martin. Cunneyworth's promotion has been the subject of some controversy, owing to the fact that he doesn't speak French. The last full-time Canadiens coach who didn't speak French at all was Al MacNeil in 1971. For instance, Quebec Culture Minister Christine St-Pierre said she expected the Canadiens to rectify the situation as soon as possible, and several nationalist groups have called for a boycott of Molson products. In response, Canadiens owner Geoff Molson promised that Cunneyworth's permanent replacement must be bilingual. Cunneyworth himself has promised to learn the language during the season.Official: Canadiens need French speaker. Associated Press via ESPN, 2011-12-19.Habs owner Geoff Molson says speaking French 'very important'. CBC Sports, 2011-12-19. Career statistics External links * * Category:Hamilton Bulldogs coaches Category:Montreal Canadiens coaches Category:Born in 1961 Category:Buffalo Sabres draft picks Category:Buffalo Sabres players Category:Calder Cup champions Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:Winnipeg Jets players Category:Hartford Whalers players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Ottawa 67's players Category:Rochester Americans players Category:Rochester Americans coaches Category:Springfield Indians players